Students interested in becoming physician assistants are best suited majoring in either Biology or Chemistry. By choosing one of these majors the student is most likely to get all needed prerequisite courses.

Prerequisites

The prerequisites required for entrance into most physician assistant programs are:

Chemistry:

CHE101, 101L, 102 and 102L- General Chemistry I and II (8 semester hours)

Human Anatomy and Physiology:

BIO227 and BIO328 or BIO327 and BIO328 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II (8 semester hours)

Microbiology:

BIO330- Microbiology (4 semester hours)

Statistics:

MAT203- Elementary Statistics (3 semester hours)

Psychology:

PSY101- General Psychology (3 semester hours)

Recommended, but not required:

Genetics:

BIO211- Core Principles of Genetics (4 semester hours)

These courses are the basic prerequisites for most physician assistant programs. Schools vary in their prerequisites therefore, to ensure you have taken everything required investigate your school of choice.

What do I need to do other than classes?

Almost all physician assistant programs require health care experience prior to admission. Investigate your school of choice for the exact requirement.

Admission Test and Application

A student wishing to apply to physician assistant programs will likely take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) and apply through CASPA (Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants).